asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether any reply has yet been received from the Government of Eire to the representations of His Majesty's Government against the harbouring of war criminals.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, whether assurances have been received from the Government of Eire that in the event of war criminals landing in that country they will promptly hand them over to the Allies.

The Eire Government have informed us that their attitude is as follows:—They state that, in their view, the right to grant asylum is not in question, and that they can give no assurance which would preclude them from exercising that right should justice, charity or the honour or interest of the nation so require. They also refer to the absence of a comprehensive international code applicable to the matter, and to the lack of a generally recognised court or procedure for the judicial determination of individual cases. They go on to say that, on the other hand, since the present war began, it has been the uniform practice of the Eire Government to deny admission to all aliens whose presence would be at variance with the policy of neutrality, or detrimental to the interests of the Irish people, or inconsistent with the desire of the Irish people to avoid injury to the interests of friendly States, and that when such aliens land they are deported to their countries of origin as soon as possible. They state that it is not intended to alter this practice.

Have not all other neutral countries, including Spain and Argentina, given assurances to His Majesty's Government?

I am afraid I could not answer my hon. Friend without notice.

Is Herr Hitler in Spain at the moment?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, whether he will give instructions that the Union Jack shall in future be flown over the office of the United Kingdom representative in Dublin, seeing that the Sinn Fein flag is flown over the office of the High Commissioner for Eire in London and the swastika flag over the German Legation in Dublin.

As the House is aware, it has not hitherto been the practice to fly a flag from the office of the United Kingdom representative in Dublin. The attitude adopted by the Eire Government towards the war and the fact that enemy representatives in Dublin are in a position to fly their national flags clearly raise special considerations in this case. My noble Friend, however, on re-examining the question, feels that these con- siderations do not justify a departure from the normal practice obtaining in the Commonwealth. The Union Jack will accordingly be flown in future from the office of the United Kingdom representative on appropriate occasions.

Has not the Union Jack always flown from the offices of all our representatives in the other Dominions?

Yes, Sir; but, as I have pointed out, certain special considerations exist in this particular case.

What special considerations?

The special considerations are the position of Eire as part of the British Commonwealth yet acting as a neutral. In any case, the flag is going to be flown.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when production of British-made utility carpets will restart; and, in view of the high costs of production and the necessity of avoiding inflated prices, he will fix ceiling prices free of Purchase Tax.

The production of carpets, which had fallen to a very low level, is now being gradually increased. I shall fix ceiling prices for this new production, but Purchase Tax will continue to be payable.

In view of the fact that these carpets are being undertaken only as utility lines, would it not have been much better to leave them free of Purchase Tax?

That is a matter in which the Board of Trade is not primarily concerned: it is entirely a matter for the Treasury. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has met me very well in the past over Purchase Tax concessions on utility goods, but these carpets are not, strictly speaking, utility productions at the present time. What we can do later, when we have increased production, will be a matter for consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the scarcity of children's boots suitable for wet weather; and whether, in the interests of their health, he will increase the supply of small children's Wellington boots.

Supplies of rubber are still very short; but I am glad to say that I was able to arrange for the production of a small quantity of children's Wellingtons to be restarted this summer.

Is not my right hon. Friend aware that children's utility shoes now on sale are generally made of rubbishy material, that very high prices are charged for them, and that these shoes are quite unsuitable for children in the winter-time? I have seen some of them, and they are too bad.

The Question relates to children's Wellingtons. With regard to other shoes, I have frequently told the House of the efforts that are being made to raise the standards of production, and I repeat, what I think my hon. Friend will have heard me say before, that every manufacturer has now to mark every pair of boots or shoes with his number, and if it is represented to me that any manufacturer persistently produces goods from shoddy material the necessary steps are taken.

Will my right hon. Friend give particular attention to the complaints of mothers with young families, that they find difficulty in getting children's shoes that will keep out the wet?

Yes, Sir, I am very anxious to do everything possible to see that children are well shod.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the heavy work involved and the consequent damage to overalls and other clothing, which wear out very quickly on this type of work, he will arrange either for an extra issue of special coupons to workmen engaged on air-raid repairs in London, or alternatively, make a free issue of overalls from time to time.

These workers receive the industrial supplement of 10 coupons, in addition to their existing ration. I have also made arrangements whereby employers may hold small pools of protective clothing, for loan to men working on particular jobs involving exceptionally dirty conditions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the difficulties being encountered by the small shopkeepers throughout the country in obtaining their quotas of goods for sale, he will state the Government's proposals to assist in overcoming these difficulties.

As my hon. Friend will recall, I introduced two years ago "Fair Shares" schemes for the clothing, pottery and hollow-ware trades and appointed Committees, on which the small shopkeepers are represented, to supervise the arrangements. I am glad to say that these schemes have worked very smoothly and that very few complaints have been reported. If, however, my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of any case where difficulty has arisen, I will look into it.

Can my right hon. Friend tell us anything at all about the small firms of paint makers who have had such a very raw deal; and is he aware of the unprecedentedly disastrous result of this bungling?

No, Sir.

Does my right hon. Friend read the "Daily Express"?

Is the Minister aware that, in the main, small shopkeepers usually appear to have better stocks than the bigger stores; and is it not time to put an end to this nonsense that they are getting an unfair deal? They are serving the public in a very efficient manner, because of the equity with which the matter is being administered by the Board of Trade.

There is no evidence whatever of that situation.

There is, in the shops.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Industrial Supplies Department of his department has refused an export licence to a Manchester firm to export steam piping for a textile mill in Brazil and have informed the firm that the U.S.A. have made themselves responsible for the export of all finished steel to the South American States; how many agreements of this kind have been made between this country and the U.S.A.; whether any reciprocal advantages are given to manufacturers in this country; and whether he will place a copy of each of these trade treaties in the Library of the House.

Our own production of steel products is insufficient to meet our essential requirements and we have, therefore, had no surplus available for export to South America. We have had, for some time, to import steel products from the United States and, in so doing, to pay regard to the undertaking given in the White Paper of 10th September, 1941.

Can the Minister give any statement with regard to the last part of the Question—whether he will place copies in the Library of the House?

There are no documents relating to this matter beyond the White Paper of 10th September, 1941, to which I have referred my hon. Friend.

What progress is being made, in the relations between this country and the United States, with regard to South American trade? Is there a possibility of our losing our South American trade?

I gave an answer to the hon. Member for West Birmingham (Mr. Higgs) on 28th September, in which I said that discussions have been proceeding with the United States authorities, regarding the replacement of the White Paper of September, 1941, as recent changes in the war situation had altered the background against which these questions must now be viewed, and I also said that I would make a further statement when I was able to do so. That covers wider ground.

May I ask the Minister whether he has read the statements issued by the American Bureau of Information every morning to hon. Members of this House; and does he not realise the careful planning that is in progress in the United States now, to seize practically the whole of our South American trade?

Is the Minister aware that, while these discussions are taking place with the United States Government on the revision of the White Paper of 1941, we are, slowly but surely, losing a lot of trade?

I think these matters must be viewed against the historical background of Lend-Lease. Lend-Lease has been an invaluable and indispensable contribution to our war effort, and it is only reasonable that any discussions for any change in these arrangements should take place in a spirit of mutual trust between ourselves and the United States. That is now going on.

Well, hurry up, then.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the actual tonnage of paper which will be now available for the production of books under the recently announced increased allocation; and if he has been able to arrange for additional labour to be liberated to enable an increased output of books to be made.

The total amount of paper allocated in the present four-monthly period for the production of books is 9,118 tons, an increase of 1,433 tons over the allocation in the last period. The Publishers' Association have informed me that the increase in their quotas will be largely used to produce longer runs, which are more economical of labour, and I am in close touch with my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Labour, on the labour requirements of the industry.

May I ask my right hon. Friend whether, in view of the complete impossibility of meeting the urgent demand for books for educational purposes, both at home and abroad, he will do his utmost to give consideration to this matter, having regard to the "blackout" of learning that has taken place?

There is a very substantial allocation for educational books, and I would like to see it larger, but, evidently, with regard to paper and labour required for printing, there are conditions of shortage due to the war effort, which my hon. Friend understands. We are doing our utmost, and, as a matter of fact, the production of books at the present time has increased as the result of this allocation, and is expected to increase still further.

Is the Minister aware that I was informed yesterday that this paper cannot be fully used, unless bookbinders are released by the Ministry of Labour?

That is one of the matters on which I am in touch with my right hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has obtained copies of the series of studies of Foreign Markets after the war issued in the U.S.A. by the Bureaù of Foreign and Domestic Commerce; whether he will have copies placed in the Library; and whether he will arrange for the publication, as a White Paper, in this country of the document "Economic Series, No. 39," dated September, 1944, entitled "Some Factors in Post-War Export Trade with the British Empire."

Yes, Sir. I have received the series of studies to which my hon. Friend refers and I will gladly arrange for copies to be placed in the Library. The question of publishing in this country the document mentioned in the last part of the Question is under consideration. Meanwhile, I will arrange for a copy of this also to be placed in the Library.

Will the Minister consider publishing his own review, by his own Board of Trade, of matters of this kind; and does he not think that it is very disquieting that if we want to get an up-to-date conspectus of British Empire trade, we have to go to a United States publication for it?

No, Sir. I think that we look at these matters from a somewhat different angle from that which America adopts. They look to one market, and we look to another. We shall publish, when paper is a little more plentiful, certain studies similar to those to which my hon. Friend referred.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give us a date when these Matters will be published?

Will my right hon. Friend be quick?

May I ask my right hon. Friend whether studies of a similar character to those suggested by my hon. Friend's Question are in process in the British Empire to-day?

Yes, Sir, that is so.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will agree to waive or reduce the fee charged under the Registration of Business Names Act, 1916, where a trader has to change his premises owing to enemy action.

No fee is charged for a notification of change to a temporary address owing to enemy action.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the delay in getting through the credits of Service men returning from the Far East whereby hardship is caused; and whether he will investigate the system of credits from India to England and from England to India with a view to the improvement of administrative machinery.

The delays, which have been largely due to the rapid expansion of the Army in India, have been under investigation for some time. As a result, there has been a great improvement and I hope that the remaining difficulties will soon be overcome.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether regular officers who have qualified during the war for the maximum retired pay but who have continued to serve, are given the 25 per cent. increase granted to re-employed retired regular officers.

No, Sir.

May I ask whether retiring officers who have continued to serve do not get an increased pension as a result of service; and if they do not, will the Minister reconsider the position, so that they can be put on the same basis as if they had retired just before the war?

Does my hon. Friend mean those officers placed on the supplementary list, because those who get the 25 per cent. increase, get it partly as compensation for being uprooted, and partly as compensation for the fact that they do not earn any increase of pension. They are already compensated.

Will the Minister consider the position of these officers who would have retired on a maximum pension, and who get no increased pension and no 25 per cent.?

I think they are in exactly the same position as those on the active list.

asked the Secretary of State for War what discrimination is made between men and women war correspondents; and for what reasons women correspondents are not given the same measure of recognition and facilities as the male correspondents.

I have nothing at present to add to the replies I gave my hon. Friends the Member for Abingdon (Sir R. Glyn) on 1st February, and the Member for Wallsend (Miss Ward) on 1st August, of which I will send my hon. Friend copies.

Is the Minister aware that the discontent in this matter is growing very considerably; and has he had any representations from organisations representing women journalists?

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a woman in Cairo, about whom I gave him particulars, and who has been sending information to papers in this country, had, in order to do so—and she is a British woman—to become attached to the United States Forces as a war correspondent?

I have not yet received the full facts about this particular case, so I cannot answer that question.

Is the Minister aware that I gave them to him about 10 months ago?

I have forgotten about the case and will have to refresh my memory.

The right hon. Gentleman gets it both ways.

Representations from two women's organisations have been received. As I explained in a supplementary answer on the last occasion when it was raised, there is no difference in treatment between women journalists attached to the British Forces and those attached to the Canadian and American Forces. It is merely a question of a name, and if, as I said then, the women's organisations concerned merely want the name changed without any other change in their facilities —if that makes any difference to their satisfaction, I will gladly consider it.

Are we to understand from that answer that the only difference is the name and that it is not a question of facilities given either in practice or in the number of women correspondents allowed?

That is my information.

Is not ten months rather a long time for gestation, even for the War Office?

I was really trying to conceal the fact that I had forgotten about the particular case.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that many of those who got their discharge before the recent order of fitting out for clothes, etc., feel they are entitled to receive some consideration as they were not adequately compensated at the time; and if he will give favourable consideration to these cases.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that 5244027, ex-Sergeant F. B. Hussey, of the K.R.R.C., was discharged from the Army on 25th September, was suffering from bronchitis and has been refused a raincoat or overcoat; and whether he will take steps to ensure that the issue of overcoats to discharged soldiers shall not be refused merely on the grounds that they were discharged before 16th October, 1944.

These two Questions raise, in a slightly different form, the point of giving retrospective effect to the recent improvement in regard to civilian clothing given to soldiers on discharge. As I informed my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wycombe (Sir A. Knox) on 3rd October it is not practicable to do this. Whatever date is fixed for the introduction of such an improvement, there are bound to be complaints from those who have been dealt with before the fixed date. On the particular point of ex-Sergeant Hussey, I am investigating the circumstances to see whether under the regulations then in force he could have been given an overcoat, and will let my hon. and gallant Friend know the result in due course.

Will my right hon. Friend follow up the question, as there is a lot of dissatisfaction among people who have not had the same treatment as others?

I have, I assure my hon. Friend, given it very serious consideration, but it is a dilemma which always arises after conditions are improved. The question of retrospection always arises. It is very rarely practicable and it always produces a crop of hard cases.

Will my right hon. Friend consider the case of Sergeant Hussey, particularly in view of the fact that the man was actually suffering from bronchitis; and is he aware that there is considerable dissatisfaction at the way these men are treated?

I do not think that my hon. and gallant Friend could have heard my answer, which I will repeat for him—

"On the particular point of ex-Sergeant Hussey, I am investigating the circumstances to see whether under the regulations then in force he could have been given an overcoat, and will let my hon. and gallant Friend know the result in due course."

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he will be treading on very dangerous ground if he departs from the broad principle of the datum line already laid down?

That is my impression.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can state the number of chaplains belonging to the Church of Scotland who are at present serving in the Royal Army Chaplains' Department.

I regret that it is not in the public interest to give figures of strengths of any part of the Army.

Surely there can be nothing wrong in giving statistics concerning a non-combatant branch?

Non-combatant branches are very closely allied with combatant branches and, anyhow, there is a formula relating the strength of chaplains to the strength of the Army.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) what is the total number of officers and other ranks, separately and men only, who applied for compassionate leave during 1943 and the first six months of 1944, respectively; and the percentage of requests granted in each case;

Compassionate leave for troops in this country is granted by officers commanding units. There is no compassionate leave from abroad but if the circumstances justify it a man may be posted back to this country for compassionate reasons. Applications may be made either through the War Office or by the men abroad to the Commander-in-Chief of the theatre in which he is serving. We have no figures for local applications and I cannot therefore give the statistics my hon. Friend desires.

Can my right hon. Friend give any statistics relating to this matter?

I can give my hon. Friend this information. The total number of cases received by the War Office since January, 1943, is about 20,000, and even to classify all this would, I am told, take two clerks at least three weeks.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that great consideration and sympathy are shown by the War Office in cases such as are mentioned in the Question? At least, that is my experience.

asked the Secretary of State for War when he was made aware of the arrangements which had been made by the Commander-in-Chief Middle East with regard to the granting of compassionate leave.

It has all along been made clear that Commands overseas have full discretion to return men and women to this country on compassionate grounds and the General Routine Order circulated with the reply I gave the hon. Member last week was issued in accordance with this policy. But its Appendix was in effect a reproduction of a table originally produced by the War Office and sent to Commands for guidance last April.

Does my right hon. Friend not think it rather peculiar, in view of the fact that the War Office keep control over many unimportant matters, that they should not have known that this extraordinary new procedure was being undertaken?

We did know about it, but only as a matter of general interest, and from the visits of a considerable number of officers from this country to that theatre.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that Private W. Tinker, No. 7368178, was sent to Normandy nine months after he had been repatriated from a prisoner of war camp in Germany and has been serving with the B.L.A. as a medical orderly since July; how many other repatriated prisoners of war are serving with the B.L.A.; and whether it is the policy of his department that repatriated prisoners of war should be drafted for overseas service.

As I said in a reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Clay Cross (Mr. Neal) on 24th May, protected personnel, for example, those in the Royal Army Medical Corps, may be employed in a theatre of war overseas if they are medically fit for such duties, provided they are not employed in a combatant capacity. This is in accordance with the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick. About 140 repatriated prisoners belonging to the R.A.M.C. have so far been sent overseas. None were sent as far as I know until they had completed six months' service in this country.

Surely the Minister will agree that we are not so far short of manpower in the Army that we should put these men through such a terrific psychological training and return them to the fighting front again after the experiences they have been through? Is it not possible to find suitable employment for them in the Army here?

I can assure hon. Members that we have no reserves of man-power.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Dr. R. G. Moss, of a field survey company, R.E., C.M.F., has been abroad nearly four years in Libya, Syria, and now in Italy, and has had no leave of any description for 16 months; and will he endeavour to remedy this matter.

Under the present arrangements this man is not yet eligible for reversion to the Home Establishment. As to his local leave I have referred the matter to the Commander-in-Chief concerned.

Is the Secretary of State aware that this man has been abroad four years? Surely, it is not usual to wait for 16 months without any leave at all. Cannot the right hon. Gentleman understand the feelings of the family in this matter?

As I say, I cannot, without referring the matter to the Commander-in-Chief, say what the actual facts are, and I have referred the matter to the Commander-in-Chief.

How long will it be before we receive some information, as the family are very concerned about it?

I cannot say.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps are being taken to remove the strong points in the streets of London as the one at the bottom of Kingsway obstructs the view of the pedestrians when they are crossing the road near the American house.

Orders have been given for the removal of this obstruction.

Will the right hon. Gentleman authorise local authorities to remove the four-year-old obstructions still remaining on the roads?

That is a different question and perhaps my hon. Friend will put it on the Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for War when the public relations committee of E.N.S.A. last met.

This is a question of internal E.N.S.A. administration about which I am not officially informed.

In view of the fact that this committee is supposed to meet once a month, and has not met for a year, would it not avoid such controversies as there are about E.N.S.A. in India—or the lack of it—if this committee did meet?

The publicity they give themselves has nothing to do with me; what I am concerned with is the amount of entertainment they provide.

Surely a body in receipt of public funds, over which there is Ministerial control, must supply information if the Minister needs it?

Only in so far as the information is required in connection with the purposes for which they get the public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that A.T.S. personnel in anti-aircraft batteries are still sleeping under canvas on marshy ground at a place of which he has been informed; and if he will take immediate steps to transfer them to billets or provide hutments.

I regret that it is necessary for operational reasons for these auxiliaries to be located where they are. Huts are being provided for them as quickly as possible and meanwhile double tentage has been issued to protect them from the weather.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I visited these gun sites only yesterday afternoon, and it is quite incorrect to say that double tenting has been provided? They are still sleeping under single canvas—and very leaky canvas at that.

That is not the first time I have been given the lie direct by the hon. Member, and I will investigate that.

Order.

On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker, Is it proper for the Minister to say that a Private Member has given the lie direct?

I did not hear the Minister's reply.

The Minister said that it was the lie direct. Surely, Private Members are entitled to protection?

Are you aware, Mr. Speaker, that I was expelled once for calling an hon. Member a liar?

That is not a correct expression to use if it was used.

Withdraw.

I will certainly withdraw it, if it is outside the Rules of Order, but the hon. Member flatly contradicted a statement which I had just made. As he did flatly contradict the statement, which I had made in perfect good faith, I said I would have to investigate it before I could reply.

Further to that point of Order, Mr. Speaker. May I say that I am perfectly prepared to abide by the right hon. Gentleman's investigation of the facts on the spot, which I saw with my own eyes yesterday evening, if he will then come to this House next week and make a further statement?

I shall be perfectly prepared to tell the hon. Member the result of my investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) why the trunk road, No. A22, was closed by the military, on Monday, 6th November, between two points, of which he has been informed;

The powers to which my hon. Friend doubtless refers were not granted specifically for the preparations for the operations in North-West Europe. The exercise of these powers is under constant review. Many roads have been re-opened and more will be re-opened as soon as possible. In the specific case to which my hon. Friend refers, the road was closed for about 1½ hours while a military training film was being made. This stretch of road was chosen because it was suitable and near where the troops taking part were stationed and because it was thought that its closing would cause the least inconvenience to the general public. I might add that the consent of the police and the Ministry of War transport was obtained before this road was closed on this occasion.

Will the right hon. Gentleman watch this matter of the closing of roads by the military on what sometimes appear to be somewhat capricious grounds, to see whether, at the earliest possible moment, this power could not be returned to the civil authority?

I will certainly do the converse of what the hon. Member suggests in this case—I will try my utmost to see that the roads closed are re-opened as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will consider extending the provisions of Home Guard Circular No. 51 of 28th June, 1944, to enable members of the Home Guard who have sustained injuries when proceeding to and from home to the place of Home Guard duty prior to 1st April, 1944, to claim disablement allowance.

Members of the Home Guard who sustained injuries while proceeding to or from duty prior to 1st April, 1944, are eligible to claim disablement allowance or pension in respect of any current disablement they may have. As was made clear in the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Ilford (Mr. G. Hutchinson) on 30th March they are not, however, eligible to claim payments in respect of periods of disablement prior to 1st April, 1944. The decision to admit claims of this nature took effect from that date, and I regret that I am not prepared to allow at this stage payments in respect of previous periods which may have long since passed.

As there are quite a number of very hard cases, will not my right hon. Friend reconsider that, although the disablement is no longer continuing, they have suffered considerable hardship and loss of pay?

I understand that this concession was the result of considerable discussion, and it is, again, one of those cases where retrospection is impracticable.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is now permissible for members of the Home Guard to have their khaki greatcoats and trousers dyed for use as civilian attire.

I am glad of this opportunity to clear any misunderstanding there may be about the present position. The instructions so far issued cover the standing down of the Home Guard, not its disbandment. Members are therefore liable to recall if the need arises. The instructions for standing down the Home Guard make it clear that should the Home Guard be recalled for active duty, members will report for duty complete with the items of clothing and equipment which they have been allowed to retain. It will not be until the actual disbandment of the Home Guard that members will be allowed to dispose of, or have their khaki greatcoats, trousers, etc., dyed for use as civilian clothes.

May I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his reply, which will give great satisfaction to the Home Guard, and a lead as to what they may do with these garments?

I hope it will give satisfaction, and I hope it will make the position clear. I noticed in one of the London papers this morning, in the women's column, a recipe for turning a Home Guard coat into a winter coat for a boy, and this in spite of the fact that the representatives of that newspaper have been told several times that the Home Guard are not disbanded.

Could not the right hon. Gentleman give a broadcast or something of that kind, making a full general statement to the Home Guard, instead of dealing with the matter in this piecemeal way, which is causing very great embarrassment and is inequitable to many men?

I must take exception to the hon. Member's suggestion that these instructions have been issued in a piecemeal way. They have not. They were issued in a comprehensive way but, for reasons which I cannot fathom, they have been misunderstood all over the country. Having re-read the text of the instructions, I cannot find any warrant for misunderstanding them.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that wives of men of the Home Guard now standing down, have already made the overcoats into dressing gowns for their husbands?

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is considering the question of a gratuity to members of the Home Guard.

No, Sir.

Is the Minister satisfied that a short answer of that kind will meet the question of a gratuity, having regard to the gratitude which the people of this country feel towards the Home Guard? Does he not think it would be better to give reasons for not granting a gratuity?

I am absolutely certain that it would be repugnant to the feeling of the vast majority of the Home Guard to ask for a gratuity.

Is the Minister aware that the Home Guard are proud to give their services free?

There is no suggestion in my Question regarding payment.

What does a gratuity mean it it does not involve a payment?

Is the Minister aware that many members of the Home Guard have made great financial sacrifices in consideration of their duty—[HON. MEMBERS: "Who has not?"]—and that they ought to receive compensation?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider the desirability of amending Subsection (5) of Section 27 of the Finance Act, 1920, so as to provide that deduction from the rate of United Kingdom Income Tax in respect of Dominion Income Tax relief should be restricted to dividends on shares other than those carrying a fixed preferential rate of dividend.

I note my hon. Friend's suggestion, which will be borne in mind when occasion arises for reviewing the existing arrangements for relief of double taxation.

Is it not a fact that in the first instance companies operating in the Dominions pay both United Kingdom and Dominion tax, and therefore the relief only makes them the same as a company working in the United Kingdom? Further, is it not a fact that if compelled to pass on the relief the tax they pay is 15s. or thereabouts?

I had assumed that that was the point of my hon. Friend's Question; the matter was carefully considered in the first instance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on what date he received, as an outcome of his invitation to motor manufacturers, proposals for a revision of the motor taxation system; and if he is yet in a position to reply;

I received a statement from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders on 9th June, but I have received later statements from other interests which I am considering. I hope to be in a position to make a statement in the near future.

Will my right hon. Friend try to speed up the machinery of government, which is absurdly slow at the present time and injurious to the export trade?

This is not a question of the machinery of government; these are matters of great importance, and it is just as well that they should be fully considered.

In considering these recommendations, is the Chancellor accepting as his principle the necessity for extracting the same amount of revenue from motor taxation, whatever its basis may be?

I dealt with that point fully in the course of the Budget Debate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention has been drawn to the wholesale smuggling of dutiable merchandise by air from France and the Low Countries; and whether in a recent case where 1,000 bottles of champagne were discovered in the vicinity of Manor Road, Chelmsford, those responsible have been apprehended and brought to trial.

I am aware that there are indications that some smuggling is taking place in the manner described in the first part of the Question, and I may say that all possible counter-measures are being taken. With regard to the second part, the case is being appropriately dealt with.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the fact that unless energetic counter-measures are taken this latest form of "black-marketeering" will become an epidemic?

I am well aware that the matter wants very careful consideration.

Can my right hon. Friend state the location of the 1,000 bottles of champagne at the present time?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost would be to increase the supplementary old age pension to £2 5s. a week in place of £1 15s. a week for man and wife; and to increase the single allowance to £1 5s. a week in place of £1 a week.

My hon. Friend no doubt realises that many supplementary pensioners are already in receipt of more than 45s. if married and 25s. if single, because the basic scales he mentions are for needs other than rent, for which an additional allowance is paid. The cost of increasing the scales by 5s. for a single person and by 10s. for a married couple would be about £21,000,000 a year for existing supplementary pensions, but it is not possible to estimate the total cost as an unknown number of additional pensioners would then become eligible for supplementary pensions.

Is the Chancellor aware that the scales laid down in 1935 are causing grave hardship, and that the time has come when they should be given some consideration?

That is another question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value of Treasury Bills held by Empire and allied countries as sterling balances; and what are the respective percentages of the total.

I regret that the information for which my hon. Friend asks is not at my disposal.

Has not my right hon. Friend any information at all about these very large obligations contracted in sterling?

Yes, I have a good deal of information, but the particular information for which my hon. Friend asks is not at my disposal.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the agreement with the Government of India as to the payment by His Majesty's Treasury in respect of the service of Indian troops outside India; what is the total liability to date and how much of this liability is not included in the total of the National Debt.

Payments by His Majesty's Government in respect of Indian troops serving outside India are one item covered by the comprehensive financial arrangements on defence expenditure agreed between the two Governments, which were described in the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for India on 29th February, 1940 (OFFICIAL REPORT, c. 2255). All expenditure by His Majesty's Government under the agreement to which I have referred is met from the Vote of Credit, and therefore is a charge to the Budget which, as my hon. Friend knows, is financed partly from revenue and partly by borrowings which add to the National Debt.

Cannot my right hon. Friend give the figures asked for?

I cannot give separate figures because the cost is not broken down in the way indicated in the Question.

Surely my right hon. Friend must know what the liability is?

Yes, I know what the total liability is.

That is what I asked for.